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This account of a haunting is considered to be one of the earliest possible accounts of a vampire in Britain. It was written by William Parvus, also known as William of Newburgh (or Newbury) (Born 1136 – Died 1198), an Augustinian Canon who wrote several accounts of haunting/potential vampire cases. Read More »

You are hereRoaring Dorset! Encounters with Big Cats by Merrily Harpur

Roaring Dorset! Encounters with Big Cats by Merrily Harpur

Nevermind the Serengeti, Dorset is, arguably, where you are most likely to bump into a big cat, according to Merrily Harpur, author of two books on the subject – Mystery Big Cats and Roaring Dorset! Encounters with Big Cats.

Around a thousand people glimpse a panther- or puma-like feline in Britain every year – with Dorset having more than its fair share, given its population and size, of these strange, elusive creatures. Merrily’s Roaring Dorset! is the result of a decade of research and includes the 223 sightings she has collected on her Dorset Big Cats Register website (http://www.dorsetbigcats.org).

But there’s more to them than meets the eye. Merrily ponders the questions surrounding the big cat mystery and suggests her own view that these cats are daimons, shape-shifters that inhabit liminal places. Hence the reason they defy capture and why no bodies have been found; why 80% of sightings are of jet black cats – a rare colour in big cats; and why the sightings may be related to the spectral Black Dogs of folklore.

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The smallest house in Great Britain can be found on the quayside at Conwy and is known as Quay House. This tiny dwelling dates from the sixteenth century and was lived in continually until 1900 when it was deemed by the local authority to be unsuitable for human habitation. Read More »